Flipkey: Six Vacation Rental Marketing Pitfalls to Avoid

Whether you are using the major vacation rental listing sites or not, steering clear of these common marketing blunders can help you drive more traffic to your website and capture more rental revenue. #2 is especially important for your website; fresh and relevant content is increasingly vital for search engine optimization.

1) Clichés

Browse your listing and if you find the words "beautiful," "stunning," "amazing," "incredible"…etc. in your text, slash them immediately and focus on being unique, not generic.

2) Set it and forget it

Too many owners and managers sign up for a listing site, fill out their profile (photos, description, prices) and then never touch it again. Oppositely, the best performers are checking back and updating frequently.

3) Clump your text

One or two or three hefty paragraphs descriptions can be daunting to the traveler and thus discourage them from reading your every word. Instead, utilize The Goldfish Trick for optimal content consumption.

4) Skip the author's bio

The best performers in the world use the bio box to tell their story, to connect with the traveler, and to set themselves apart.

5) Don't upgrade because "it's too expensive"

In the world of marketing (across various industries), the return on investment (ROI) of listing sites is disproportionately high. So if you’re using these sites, you’re best off selecting the best, most expensive package you can buy. This goes for the promotion and maintenance of your personal website, too.

6) Forget to track

Without tracking (it can be something as simple as an Excel document) there’s practically no way to improve. Test different strategies, track what’s working, double down on your most effective practices and delete any activity that’s not optimal. This will put you miles ahead of your local competition.